Enter to win a copy of Flame of Resistance by Tracy Groot (with bonus review!)

About the book:

Years of Nazi occupation have stolen much from Brigitte Durand. Family. Freedom. Hope for a future, especially for a woman with a past like hers. But that changes the day American fighter pilot Tom Jaeger is shot down over occupied France. Picked up by the Resistance, Tom becomes the linchpin in their plan to infiltrate a Germans-only brothel and get critical intel out through Brigitte, a prostitute rumored to be sympathetic to the Allied cause.

D-day looms and everyone knows that invasion is imminent. But so is treachery, and the life of one American pilot unexpectedly jeopardizes everything. He becomes more important than the mission to a man who cannot bear to lose another agent and to a woman who is more than just a prostitute, who finally realizes that her actions could change the course of history.

My review:

Ce livre était fantastique! What does that mean, exactly? The translation is, "this book was fantastic," in French. I have never read any books by Tracy Groot before, but this book has made me a fan. I loved this novel and could not stop reading it. I have a "thing" for WWII fiction and for stories where people resist their oppressors by refusing to be like them. There were a number of times while reading this novel that my eyes welled with tears. I sensed the hope, sacrifice, and redemption themes coming up in the plot, and I experienced them within the pages of this book. Sometimes the littlest things bring perspective to everything else. When Krista found the blessing in the fact that a guard had enough compassion to assist her in helping her give a person being tortured a drink of water, I was moved by that scene. In the midst of horror, one can still see the hope that lives in believers, and people are drawn to it. Krista saw that traumatic job as a ministry. I can't imagine...

C'est les horreurs de guerre. That's the horrors of war. I found many of the situations in this book quite convicting, and I am glad the author didn't water those situations down. When Tom asked Brigitte about the hardest part of the war and she said, "the hunger," it made emotion rise in my heart. She described it so well. We take so many things in life for granted. Many of us think having no extra money after we pay our bills is hardship...not! Anyway, I loved the heartfelt way the author penned this story and how she didn't soften the pain that the characters went through. I grew attached to a number of them and was sad when they were no longer part of the story. Even the hardest of hearts could be softened by the right situation. 

The reason this book is making my favorite fiction list has to do with the fact that the novel made me think about my life and about what I would do in similar situations. Though the characters were brave because they fought for France, I could see the spiritual alignment to the many martyrs for the faith over the centuries. The love story was also quite beautiful. I loved how Brigitte was used to show Tom that there is still a person beneath one of the most offensive professions. I loved the change of perspective and thought about how hard times can bring out the best and worst in people. Ironically, the next book on my to-read list is a story of Rahab. Since this one was an "impressionistic retelling" I've been prepared for a wonderful experience, I'm sure. Again, loved this story! Very realistic and heart-wrenching. A must-read for 2012.

Flame of Resistance was published by Tyndale and released in June 2012.

Now for the question... Are you a fan of WWII era fiction? If so, why? I'll select a winner using the Randomizer program next Sunday. Best wishes to you all!